GUANGZHOU, China – Ric Suggitt’s Women’s Eagles Sevens are one day
away from kicking off the fourth round of the 2013-14 IRB Women’s Sevens
World Series – Guangzhou Women’s Sevens.
In what seems to be a common occurrence during the course of the
Series, the weather in China has been wet. The Men’s Eagles Sevens
almost had a match postponed last weekend at Cathay Pacific HSBC Hong
Kong Sevens. The forecast for Guangzhou has a 20-percent chance of rain
for Saturday, when the Eagles face Canada, Russia, and France,
respectively, in their Pool C matches.
Sunday’s forecast is not as hopeful, however, with Guangzhou expected
to see rain throughout the day and night. At last year’s Guangzhou
Women’s Sevens, play was suspended before the finals on day two.
The rainy forecast for Sunday means the Eagles need to ensure a good
seeding for the knockout round with multiple wins during their pool
matches.
“We have three tough, physical games on day one and I believe we have
the correct mixture of mental toughness, speed and knowledge to come
out of the blocks on the first day,” Suggitt said.
“So far, we have had a great week. The team is on task and has
demonstrated excellent focus. The practices have been short and sharp.”
Among the Eagles named for the fourth stop of the Series are Lauren
Doyle, Victoria Folayan, Kelly Griffin, Dana Meschisi, Deven Owsiany,
Jillion Potter, Rebekah Siebach, and Amelia Villines, who have all
featured in the previous three tournaments in Dubai, Atlanta and Sao
Paulo.
Suggitt has selected a different captain for his team at each
tournament, with Villines carrying the responsibility in Guangzhou.
“Amelia has done a good job as captain this tour,” Suggitt said.
“Developing the leadership roles has been a smooth transition from what
we have done in the past. Sharing the responsibilities has lessened the
stress applied to just one person.”
The Eagles now have experience on their side with the eight
previously-mentioned players suiting up for at least a fourth time.
There are three new faces, however, with Alev Kelter and Elana Meyers
set to earn their first sevens caps in Guangzhou.
Meyers is coming off of a whirlwind two months after winning a silver
medal at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games in the two-woman bobsleigh
event. Once she returned home, she was offered a one-month contract at
the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
Kelter was also given a contract at the OTC at the end of February.
Suggitt found out about the University of Wisconsin alumna from her
former high school teammate, Lorrie Clifford. The Chugiak High School
(Alaska) teammates will share the same jersey once again, this time in
China.
“Alev and Elana are fitting in well and have added a sense of
accountability on and off of the field,” Suggitt said. “Both have become
quick learners and students of the game of sevens.”
Women’s Eagles captain Shaina Turley is also in Guangzhou, though it
will not be her first sevens cap. The Marine, who has been training at
the OTC as part of the World-Class Athlete Program, appeared in the 2009
Dubai Sevens tournament. The Eagles lost in the Plate Final in Dubai
that year.
“Shaina has been a well-needed addition and, again, with her
experience, she has boosted the confidence in the overall team plan,”
Suggitt said.
In what was the third stop of the inaugural IRB Women’s World Series
last year, the Eagles finished fourth with a hard-fought, 17-5, loss to
Canada in the Third Place Match in Guangzhou. They had defeated Fiji and
China in pool play, with one loss to England, before beating Australia
in the Cup Quarterfinal. Eventual tournament champion New Zealand dealt
the Eagles a 24-12 loss in the Cup Semifinal to set up the North
American Final.
The Eagles kick off Guangzhou Women’s Sevens against Canada Friday, April 4, at 10:00 P.M. ET. Watch the Eagles live on the
IRB Women’s Sevens World Series website and follow live match updates with
@USARugby on Twitter.
Women's Eagles Sevens | Guangzhou Sevens Pool C
v Canada - Friday, April 4 - 10:00 P.M. ET
v Russia - Saturday, April 5 - 1:06 A.M. ET
v France - Saturday, April 5 - 3:50 A.M. ET
And a piece on Australia courtesy of the
iRB:
Australians ready for Guangzhou challenge
(IRB.COM) Wednesday 2 April 2014
Sharni Williams is a driving force behind Australia's success on the Series in 2013/14
Australia’s women are having a good IRB Women’s Sevens World Series.
Winners of the opening round in Dubai last November after an amazing
comeback in the final against world champions New Zealand, they repeated
the feat in Brazil when they beat their trans-Tasman rivals in the rain
in Sao Paulo.
Fitness and conditioning is one part of Australia’s success this season
and moving their base to Sydney where they train with the men’s team has
been another important factor. But one crucial aspect has been the
inspirational leadership of Sharni Williams.
“We were happy with the performance in Brazil, with a couple of new
young girls getting a start and obviously with the rivalry we have with
New Zealand it was awesome to get one over them,” admitted Williams.
“I just think our preparation was much better than it was in Atlanta.”
Another factor is the youth and sheer exuberance of the team she’s
captaining, typified by Emilee Cherry who was named the Most Valuable
Player following the tournament in Brazil last month.
“You get experience from every game that you play,” continued Williams.
“I think going part-time at Narrabeen has been really beneficial for the
young players.
Mental toughness
“One of the biggest things to learn is not getting overwhelmed. If you
try and take too much in, you get overwhelmed and you don’t play very
good footy. We go out there (in training) and do a lot of game scenarios
and that’s definitely helped us in the dying minutes of the game.”
Wise words from Australian captain, who has also focused on mental
toughness this season, especially when it comes to facing New Zealand.
“I think it’s more of a mental game and we’re definitely mentally tough
these days. I think the mental game is the biggest thing against New
Zealand, they’re tough and they are the nation that’s known for rugby,
but Australia is definitely getting up there and over that hurdle.”
Australia will need to be “mentally tough” as they face a tough pool on
day one at the University Town Stadium in Guangzhou, China, with matches
against England, Ireland and Fiji.
AUDIO: HEAR MORE FROM SHARNI WILLIAMS >>
After their victory in Brazil, Australia now sit on 56 points at the top
of the standings table alongside their New Zealand rivals and Williams
knows a Cup win this weekend could be vital in their quest to be crowned
Series champions.
“Guangzhou is important this weekend and making the finals is a must. We
have got a couple of new players coming in, so a couple of fresh legs
on the tour, and hopefully they can make their mark.”
